How
often has this happened to you: You spend most of the day scrambling to keep on
top of everything that comes across your desk, only to end up feeling like you've been
spinning your wheels all day. In fact, the faster you go, the less it appears
you accomplish.
I'm going to
go out on a limb here and suggest that you might be having trouble focusing.
Imagine for a
moment that you are writing a report that needs to be on your boss's desk by
the end of the day. You've just come back from lunch and are preparing to
sit down to finish it. Suddenly, ding! There is a new email. It's
from a friend who wants to make a lunch date next week. You get that out of the
way--you agree to go to that new Thai place down the
street next Thursday at noon--and get down to work.
Then a
colleague walks in and asks if you know the date the new director is
starting. "Just a sec," you say, "I have it right here." Good person that you are, you
look it up and pass the information along. Then, you get back to work.
Just as you're
settling in, the telephone rings. Then there's another email. And another
colleague. And another... do you see a pattern here? Does it look familiar? It's
called
Shiny Object Syndrome--you see it, you reach for it, you take care of it--and it's hampering
your ability to get things done.
Getting the
job done might be as simple as shutting down your email program, setting the telephone to
'Do not disturb' and closing your door. That way, when shiny objects go by, you
don't even notice them.
Imagine, a
whole hour--or two, whatever
you choose--to focus on the job at hand.
It's not about
time management. It's about focus. And getting the job done. Stress-free.
